6 celebrities who denounced H&M after it used a black child to sell a 'racist' shirt

The Weeknd and G-Eazy both announced they would no longer be working with the brand.
Theo Wargo/Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

H&M has officially apologized after being the subject of major backlash for a hoodie that many are calling racist.

The shirt, modeled by a young black boy, read "coolest monkey in the jungle," immediately sparking widespread outrage for the juxtaposition of the model with the thought of being a monkey, a common racist trope.

INSIDER reached out to H&M for comment and they provided us with the following statement: "We completely understand and agree with [G-Eazy's] reaction to the image. We have got this wrong and we are deeply sorry. We strongly believe that racism and bias in any shape or form, deliberate or accidental, are simply unacceptable. We completely understand the criticism and we agree with it. We have taken down the image and we have removed the garment from sale. We are now investigating internally to avoid this happening again. We will continue the discussion with G-Eazy and his team separately."

So far, six celebrities have denounced the sweatshirt. Keep reading to see their statements.

G-Eazy

Rapper G-Eazy also took to social media to express his feelings and end his relationship with H&M.

"Over the past months I was genuinely excited about launching my upcoming line and collaboration with @HM," he wrote on both Twitter and Instagram. "Unfortunately, after seeing the disturbing image yesterday, my excitement over our global campaign quickly evaporated, and I've decided at this time our partnership needs to end. Whether an oblivious oversight or not, it's truly sad and disturbing that in 2018, something so racially and culturally insensitive could pass by the eyes of so many (stylist, photographer, creative and marketing teams) and be deemed acceptable. I can't allow for my name and brand to be associated with a company that could let this happen. I hope that this situation will serve as the wake up call that H&M and other companies need to get on track and become racially and culturally aware, as well as more diverse at every level."

The company responded, mentioning G-Eazy and The Weeknd by name in an email, according to ABC News, saying that "we completely understand and agree with the reactions by The Weeknd, G-Eazy, and others."

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Jesse Williams

Jesse Williams
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Jesse Williams starred alongside Minaj in the aforementioned holiday 2017 video advertisements. The actor, who has made his voice heard in regards to past moments of racial tension, released a passionate statement on Instagram, which included addressing H&M's lack of diversity in its leadership.

"Just getting back from vacation to see this pathetic excuse for corporate behavior and [ir]responsibility. Last year I chose to do a holiday campaign w/ @HM specifically because it centered women and girls as imaginative doers; because it centered an intelligent dark skinned girl w/ natural hair as protagonist; because it featured a loving, creative, working class black family. And then, here they come with this b-------," Williams wrote. "These offenses are more about the makeup of the rooms where they happen, than the items they produce. There is a concentration of power, committed to exclusion, whether casual, accidental or conscious.

"The collateral damage of this corporate, colonial mind-state occurs several times a year, and it's predictable the world over, like the seasons, so when i laid eyes on it, my initial reaction was neither shock nor anger. It was boredom. This old world, white power, failing-upward culture of reckless trampling that repeatedly exposes itself, is boring already. Aren't you bored?

"Aren't you bored watching mediocre, incurious & consequently destructive people waltz through your life, shepherded into positions of power, further choking off opportunity for the actually talented, curious & decent among us? It's a truly desperate and bizarre ritual we've become conditioned to. A ritual that WILL go the way of the confederate flag: A relic of a destructive juvenile 'civilization,' disguised as harmless tradition. End relationships with your abusers. Make room for yourselves. #BuyBlack‬ #BuyResponsibly #Make."

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Diddy

Diddy
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Rapper and mogul Diddy uploaded his own version of the advertisement, reimagining the hoodie to read "coolest king in the world," and giving the model a crown.

Alongside the new version of the image, Diddy wrote, "Put some respect on it!! When you look at us make sure you see royalty and supernatural God sent glory!! Anything else is disrespectful."

There's also reports that Diddy offered the model a contract with his brand, Sean John, but his reps have not spoken out to confirm.

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LeBron James

LeBron James
Darren Abate/AP

Basketball superstar LeBron James also gave the picture a whole new look. In James' version, the boy was also given a crown as well as a hoodie with a crown emblazoned on it. Over the boy's head, he was labeled "king of the world."

"@hm u got us all wrong! And we ain't going for it! Straight up!" James wrote in the caption. "Enough about y'all and more of what I see when I look at this photo. I see a Young King!! The ruler of the world, an untouchable Force that can never be denied! We as African Americans will always have to break barriers, prove people wrong and work even harder to prove we belong but guess what, that's what we love because the benefits at the end of the road are so beautiful!! #LiveLaughLove❤️ #LoveMyPeople🤴🏾👸🏾👨🏾‍⚖️👩🏾‍⚖️"

6/

T.I.

Rapper T.I. posted the same image as LeBron James and called for a boycott on his own Instagram, writing, "I think This is what @hm meant to print… Don't Get it FUC*ED UP!!! We account for Trillions in buying power & U WILL RESPECT THAT or we will SHUT YOUR BUSINESSES DOWN!!!! #boycotthandm🚫"

He also expressed his support for The Weeknd's choice, saying, "✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽#Salute @theweeknd … And so it shall begin … WE HAVE THE POWER!!!! #boycotthandm🚫"

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